Inferno
by symphonie of distructions
Summary: with the help of powerful witches , stefan and caroline go through the seven layers of hell to find damon and bonnie and bring them back to life
1. Chapter 1

He woke up on the sound of elena's screams in the next room for the third time that night , not that he wasn't at the mercy of hellish dreams himself . He was somewhat grateful to have her screams as a link to reality , no matter how wrong and morbid it sounded .

He heard Alaric's rushed steps , coming from the other side of the corridor, he must've came to calm elena down , someting only he can do .

Elena , Jeremy and Alaric moved to the salvatore boarding house after that catastrophic night , the night in which he lost his brother and his best friend lexi . It wasn't easy to pick himself together , this time he was totally broke , every piece of him was shattered . He tried his best not to give up on his humanity , not to give himself to the blood . The temptation was so strong but his will was stronger and he could only be thankful for caroline for being there for him in his darkest hours .

she lost her best friend too , bonnie who sacrifised herself to bring them all from the dead , and she mourned her sincerly , but her optimistic nature refused to let her give up on finding a clue , however small it was , to bring her friends back . Elena however , a year after that night , still didn't get over it or try to move on . She sleeps in damon's room , crying herself to sleep every night .her pain was so strong that she once turned her humanity off . It was alaric and Caroline who brought her back with much effort , he on the other hand remained a bystander , he didn't have the strength to watch her scream in agony while being tortured .

everyone in the mystic falls gang lost someone before that night , the night when the other side was destroyed and all supernatural creatures that were trapped there were sucked into oblivion , but then , at least they knew that their loved ones were there somewhere , that they still exisited and sometimes they even got the chance to see them . what truly pained him is that he didn't know where he brother was , _is he in pain ? in hell ? is he in a better place ? does he even exist anymore ?_ he needed to know or he will definitly go nuts .

He snapped out of his daze , it became a habbit to him , to catch himself staring at a blank spot in the room thinking . He can't concentrate anymore , sometimes even stopping in the middle of sentence for no reason , his mind wasn't his anymore and nothing sheered him up , he wasn't exactly a raving sunshine one year ago , but there were some things that he enjoyed like music , watching sunrise, hanging out with Caroline , reading books and writing but that was before . now everything became dull and tasteless .

Elena finally calmed down and she seemed to be dozing off , the only sound he could hear was Alaric's soothing voice . Stefan knew that sleep wasn't an option anymore , so he got up from his bed and decided to take a shower to cool him off .

how did everything become so sad and overwhelmed with grief , what went wrong ? he thought as he put his head under the pouring water . when he first came to mystic falls everything was so full of life , his friends elena , caroline , bonnie , matt , tyler , jeremy ,all of them were young and having troubles but they were alive , and they had hope , they weren't stuck in this cruel supernatural world , they didn't experience so much death and loss . they grew stronger by time and became wiser but at the end of the day they're still just a bunch of teenagers and this time the combat was just surpassed their physical limits and knowledge , they were facing thousands years old immortals and travellers and witches when they should be busy studying or partying like the rest of teenagers .

he stepped out of the bathroom in a towel and put his cloths on . he went to the living room to take a drink , thinking it might calm his nerves . As he looked at the spot where his brother used to sit and drink sadness crept inside of him like rott . he remembered his brother's unnatural addiction to alcohol , his snarky remarks and his signature smirk . everything that used to annoy him about his brother became sacred , pure perfection . even after all the hurt he caused to him , he couldn't imagine a world without him . The emptiness he felt since his brother couldn't come back through bonnie was like a black hole sucking his insides , he wished he could take his brother's place . after all aside from caroline ,no one will miss him . he would do anything to go back in time and stop his brother from doing that reckless rescue mission but things weren't that easy .

He glanced at the ancient clock hanging on the wall fancing him , it was 5 am . sunslight started to illuminate the dark room giving a shadowy nature to the antique furniture and making him even more depressed . He remembered those sunrises he used to watch since he was a young boy , how much hope and warmth he felt back then , it used to represent a new beginning , a fresh start . Now it represents nothing , just the beginning of a new day in which he has to keep himself together , conquer blood lust , pretend that he's fine . He wished Caroline was here with him , she always brings light to her surrendings as if she was the sun itself , but he remembered that she wasn't in town . Unlike everyone in the gang Caroline refused to give up , she visited witches from all over the country looking for answers , it was futile but stefan didn't have the heart to tell her that she was clanging to false hope .

He didn't know how much time passed while he was staring at his empty glass , his mind wondering from a place to another , and none was a happy place . His phone rang startling him , his heart almost jumped out of his chest . He composed himself and looked at the screen to see who would call him at this time of the day . Caroline , of course , who else would it be . She didn't mind calling him at anytime of the day , sometimes even for the hell of it . He smiled to himself while picking up the phone , wondering what happined to the blond vampire so that she would call him so early .

"Hello Caroline " he said sheerfully trying not to sound so gloomy and tired

"Hello to you too sunshine , what's wrong with your voice ? did I wake you up ? " she replied , she was the only one who could tell whether he's fine or just pretending to be , after all their friendship was strong and they were almost inseparable . Hearing her voice made him realize how much he missed her and he wished he could grow wings and fly to wherever she was

"no I was awake " he said

"Elena woke up screaming again didn't she ? " Her sad tone betrayed the pain she felt . Elena was her friend since they were children and they went through alot together . after damon died caroline was the person who stood by elena's side when everyone were busy with their own grief . She took care of her when she lost her humanity for the second time and everything that came out of her mouth was as sharp as a blade and as toxic as poison . She saved her life when she tried to commit suicide and when she refused to drink blood . To see someone you love falling to pieces is the most painful thing you could experience and Caroline was determined to bring back the dead , so that her friends will be reunited and be happy again

"yes , thank god for Alaric , he calmed her down and she's sleeping know " stefan replied after a pause " so where are you now anyway ? are you still in new orleans ? " He asked , Althought Caroline was serious in her decision to never see klaus again , she had no choice but to seek his help to find something to resurrect their friends . She searched for an entire year but without a result , all of the witches she met said that their spells worked while the other side existed , to resurrect people from this unknown place beyond the other side needed a very strong and ancient spell , from the time before quetsiah created the other side . but then again no one knew whether this spell existed or not .

"no I'm in fell's church , it's a small town in Atlanta , I got here tonight and I'm staying in a motel " she said with a calm tone

"why ? didn't you find anything with klaus ?" he said feeling a bit disappointed , he didn't dare to hope but , klaus was the oldest supernatural creature alive and he had so much connections to witches . if anyone was going to help them it would definitly be him

" Actually it's quite the opposit , I came here because I found something " she said "The witch I met in new orleans said it's only a rumor but I decided check it out anyway "

_here she was again_ , he thought , _clanging to false hope _

"she said there there's a coven of very powerful witches that live in fell's church , their strength comes from a grimoire they inherited generation after generation from their incestor ... "

"Caroline what does that has to do with anything " he interrupted "even bonnie had the bennett grimoire but it has nothing to help her resurrect people from whetever place they went to "

"you didn't let me finish stefan ,the rumor ...legend ...whatever said that this grimoire belongs to a witch older than silas and quetsiah themselves . remember this group of talented people that quetsiah told you about , the travellers ? he was the one who created it and when he died makus took the leadership , he wondered all over greece to gather knowledge and talented people and he trained them himself . if silas and quetsiah were so powerful imagine the strength of the man who taught them magic ." she was talking with such passion and determination only she can muster , but she still couldn't convince stefan

"all of this is nice and pretty , but you still don't know if this grimoire has the spell we need or if there is a spell in the first place " he hated being pessimistic but sometimes it's good to keep his feet on earth , at least he won't be disappointed when things doesn't go his way

"I won't waste any chance , no matter how tiny it is so save you breath , plus no one said that I can't ask " she sounded a bit angry and she made him feel guilty but he didn't want her to take the risk , not alone

"listen Caroline , I know you're a good person because I'm your friend , but to those witches you're just a vampire and they can take you down in a minute , or even kill you . witches hated vampires since forever and they have no reason to help you "

"I guess it's better to risk my wellbeing to find something helpful than to sit there staring at nothingness and wallowing in despair " she said with a harsh tone and he felt hurt , but he knew she was right , there was nothing to lose anyway

" okay I'll let you go to the witches , but I have one condition " he said with a calm voice

"I wasn't exactly asking for your permission stefan but what is your condition anyway " she was annoyed that's for sure but it didn't bother him , because he made his mind

"I will go with you "


	2. Chapter 2

He didn't know how he managed to convince caroline to give him the adress but eventually she did , and within an hour he packed a small suitcase just in case he needed to stay longer . he decided to call Alaric when he gets to fell's church , not that he will worry about him or something but , in the world they live in not coming after 24 hours means you are either dead or kidnapped and he knew the guy had enough troubles being the guardian of two broke teenagers .

he got in his car and started driving , trying to keep focused so he won't drive his new car off a bridge or cause an accident to an unlucky human being , he had enough blood on his hands already .

The next three hours were blurry with his mind trying to calculate what he was going to do next . After more than a century and a half being a vampire he learned to never go through those kinds of advantures whithout a plan A and B and C . and even with all those plans there were cases where his enemies outsmarted him and he needed to impovise , some of these cases ended up badly . he knew most of witches are good and always tried to help humans unlike vampires who's only way of survival is by hurting people and feeding on them , and he knew witches resented vampires for their history of distruction and barbarism so to just go and ask them to help him is plain stupid . he will need to either compel them to help him which will be impossible since they are strong or he will need to make a good deal and be very persuasive .

He finally reached his destination , He parked his car and he stepped out of it leaving the suitecase in the back . he went to look for the room number 96 . Using his vampire speed he found it within seconds and he knocked the door . The blond vampire opened it , wearing a light blue dress and a white leather jacket making her look even more beautiful than she usually did , or at least that's what stefan thought . with her blond hair framing her face and her smile that formed the moment that she saw him she did look like the sun , so shiny and radiant .

"Well well look who decided to join me" she said squeezing him in a hug "ugh I missed you so much"

"Caroline it's been only a week " he said messing with her and she playfully punched his shoulder "but yeah I missed you too " for a brief time he allowed himself to feel the surge of warm happiness that filled him after seeing his friend , but he knew they need to get back to the dark reality , they were here on a mission .

"so about your precious little coven of witches , did you even manage to see if they even exist ?" he said as he removed leather jacket and threw it on the wooden chair placed next to the night table . he sat on the bed next to caroline

"Stefan I only got here last night what do you think " she said in a frustrated tone "but yeah I checked it out in some local bar , they have a small store that sells herbs and that sort of stuff "she said with a calmer tone . stefan was truly impressed , his friend was always able to do multiple tasks in a short time and with the best quality . She was a super girl even for a vampire

"wow you figured it all out in one night " he said " but how are we going to convince them to help us, we can't just go and beg them for help , plus how can we be sure that they have the grimoire , or that the grimoire contains the spell , or that they won't kill us or torture us , what if ..." he started to panic thinking of all the things that can go wrong when caroline interrupted "Wow wow smart boy calm down , don't think it all too much , we're vampires too , we can take care of each other and I promise at the first sign of trouble we'll just run okay ?"

Stefan wished he had her optimism and he still knew that it was a bad idea . he didn't mind if anything happined to him but he couldn't afford to lose caroline too , it was too much for him to bear . however he knew he had no choice so he nodded neverthless

"If you don't want to you don't need to go with me stefan , it's your choice" she said "I can handle everything on my own"

"I know you can , but we're stronger and safer together " he replied " you won't be able to get rid of me no matter how much you'll try " he said making her smile . she stood up and went to take her purse " alright then it's settled , let's go"

"now ? " stefan said surprised , he thought that they'll need to make a plan or something

"well yes now sherlock , I don't see why we need to wait , we'll try to convince them , if they helped us that's good or else we'll need to get our asses out of there as fast as possible " she didn't wait for him to respond , before he could say anything she was opening the door and stepping outside , he had no choice but to grab his jacket and follow .

He tried to keep up with caroline's rushed steps while they were walking in fell's church's almost empty streets , it was amazing how much this town reminded him of mystic falls .They asked the first person they saw about the witch shop's location and it took them quite a long time finding it . From the outside it was a small shop with a tiny wooden door , almost invisible next to the big stores next to it with their big glass doors and even bigger plaques , but when he stepped inside it was inexpectedly wide . The place was tidy and simple , it reminded him with the shop pearl harper and her daughter anna used to have in the 1800s . the wooden floor was clearly old but shiny and there was no pieces of furniture except for a counter and shelves that go all the way to the ceiling , filled with bottles and jarrs of all shapes and sizes containing weird looking herbs . the shop had no windows , the only openings it had were the door that they came from and a small wooden door in the wall facing him . Once he was inside , feeling caroline standing right behind him , the smell of vervain burned his nostiles and he felt the urge to flee this place and never come back . He exchanged a worried look with caroline who seemed to be stuggling with the smell too . There was no one in the shop and he was worried that it might be a trap or that the witches sensed their coming and decided to drive some stakes into their hearts .

Finally a woman apeared , she was in her early thirties , tall and slender wearing blue jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt . Her wavy brown hair was tied into a ponytail and her eyes shone with both warmth and determination . she was carrying a box filled with more bottles and she gave them an appologizing smile . but in a second her expression changed to what looked like surprise followed by amusement

"well , well , well look at what we have here , two vampires who lost their way " she said in a mocking tone making stefan even more worried , this wasn't a good start

"No we are not lost we are her to see the witches" it was caroline who spoke trying to be as friendly as the situation could offer . The woman burst into laughter and then suddenly her face hardened

"our coven doesn't deal with vampires so if you need something ,why don't go ask the witch who made you those fancy daylight rings " she spat at them , throwing every ounce of hatred she could possibly muster

"because you are the only people that can help us" it was stefan that spoke this time , cursing under his breath the way things were going , this wasn't good

"I guess I didn't say it clearly enough , get the hell out of here " as she said that , four young women stepped out of the wooden door in attack position and stefan felt a sharp pain tearing his brain from the inside , he heard caroline's sceams and he knew it was time to go but he decided to give it one last try

"wait , what if I offered you something in exchange of helping us " it was a desperate attempt but it worked , the woman guestered to the others to stop , and stefan rushed to check on caroline who looked so pale , she gave him a confused look but he didn't say anything

"I'm listening" said the brunette witch with clear impatience

"we can provide you with doppelganger's blood " he offered hoping for the best . he glanced at caroline who looked surprised but he gave her a small nod to reassure her , after everything he and his friends went throught because of the blood that flows through his veins and elena's he hoped that it will be useful to him for once , not just for just for evil immortals .

The woman let a small laugh "doppelganger's blood " she repeated

"yes , in exchange for you services you'll have as much doppelganger blood as you want , it's powerful enough to replace the moon's power or a shooting star in rituals and you can do whatever spell you want with it , I guess that's a fair deal " he was talking with confindence he didn't have inside . but it was his only chance

"alright and what do you want in exchange for something as rare as doppelganger's blood ? " she asked

it was caroline who sopke , taking a deep breath and summouning her courage . She looked at the older woman dead in the eye before saying

" We want you to bring our dead friends back to life "


	3. Chapter 3

seconds stretched to hours while he and caroline were standing motionlessly waiting for the witch who seemed dumbfounded to respond

"you want me to do what ? " she asked , her face still wearing the same expression of surprise and confusion , it was obvious that she didn't see that one coming and stefan didn't know what to expect , this was it , he thought, she will either turn them down and kick them out or she will help them . He was praying that she will choose the latter

"we know that we are asking for too much " it was caroline who spoke , swallowing so hard that stefan felt sorry for her "but we really hope you'll help us ,I mean if you can, and as my friend said we are willing to give you as much doppelganger's blood as you want " for the first time , stefan realized how scared caroline must be , her voice was so hoarse and shaky and her hands that were resting on both sides of her body were clenched into fists the witch was clearly preparing something harsh to say , but before she could open her mouth stefan spoke

"look we are only asking you to see if there's a way to bring them ..."

"and if there isn't , then what will you do ?" the witch interrupted

"you'll never see us again we promise" caroline aswered "we'll give you the blood either ways , just please help us "

the witch remained silent for a moment , obviously thinking , then she slightly raised her head

"alright deal , but how can I be sure that you have the blood , did you bring a sample ?"

caroline patted on stefan's chest playfully and said

" you have the whole source standing right infront of you " once again , the witch was shocked

"you are the doppelganger ?"the witch said in wonder " have you ever met silas ? the first immortal witch? " her excited tone both surprised and confused stefan , how did she know silas ? why does she seem like his number one cheerleader ? those questions were storming inside his mind fighting their way to get out , but he cought his tongue . fortunately caroline sensed what was going in his mind so she asked on his behalf

"you know silas ? " she asked

"of course I do , all of the witches in our coven have listened to his story over and over , silas and quetsiah along with lucius are legends in our coven , we almost worship them" the witch explained

"Lucius ?" stefan asked before he could stop himself . He wondered what did this man commit to be placed in the same category as silas and quetsiah "He is the one who created our group of witches 2000 years ago , he left us his grimoire that contains all the knoweldge he gathered from travelling across greece " she paused for a minute , then she said , her lips shaping in a barely visible smile "I'm kira by the way "

"I'm stefan , and this is caroline" he said looking at caroline who gave a small nod in acknowledgment kira nodded to the four other witchs who were still standing there , their faces wearing a not so friendly expression and they went through the small door they came from earlier

"follow me " she said and she went in too , caroline and stefan had no choice but to trust her so they did what she said

Once they stepped inside stefan was shocked by the size of the place . It was a huge room filled with more shelves , only these ones looked older and dustier , their corners covered with spider webs , they contained more bottles and jars covered in dirt , stefan took a close look at one of them , a mummified eye popped out making his heart jump and he barely contained his scream . in the center of the room , a small table was placed , as they got closer , he could see a book and few lit candles next of it . The book was opened , its ends were uneven and its paper was closer to brown than to yellow . he knew it sounded rediculous but he could swear that the book scared him more than anything he has ever faced , there was this aura around it , like it was something out of time and space , something as old as the universe . the place wasn't empty , witches of various ages were there doing multiple jobs , some were filling bottles , others were reading books , some young girls were gathered around an old lady who was probably telling a story or teaching them something . unlike all other witches he saw in his life , who rathered to work alone , these witches built themselves an entire community , maybe that was the secret of their strength .

"I guess you two are aware of the other side's destruction ? " kira's voice brought him back to reality and he realized he must've looked like an idiot with his head rotating to check the place out

"yes we are , in fact one of our friends , bonnie was the anchor to the other side" caroline spoke and stefan cursed under his breath , caroline was giving informations too easily and it might put them at a weak spot

"then you know that your chances of finding a way to bring your friends back are so slim"

"yes we know that too " stefan said , starting to get annoyed with all the delay , he wanted her to start looking and get over with it

"alright , I'll see what I can do "

few hours passed , while caroline and stefan were patiently sitting on a pair of wooden chairs side by side , facing kira who was immersed into her work , flipping the pages every few seconds wearing a serious facial expression , her forehead frowned in concentration . stefan wished he could help her but the grimoire was probably the most precious thing these witches had and the last thing they'll want is to put it in a vampire's hands . he started to feel numb sitting on the uncomfortable chair but he didn't dare to get up and drow attention to himself , the witches were already glaring at him and caroline as if they were going to set them on fire , not that they couldn't .

"I think I found something " kira said sending a surge on electricity into stefan's body , in a blink of an eye both of him and caroline were standing behind kira , not minding the fact that they used their supernatural speed in a place full of witches , kira winced twice startled then she composed herself "look at this " she pointed at the words written in the book with an almost fading ink , he couldn't understand a word , it was in a diffrent language

"we don't speak latin " caroline said finally making kira sigh

"it's not latin , it's greek" she said " alright , it says that lucius visited a secret temple hidden in the mountains , a group of priests there showed him their most precious treasure , a holy book that explained death and origins of life and they allowed him to read it .it says that all creatures must die one way or another , but they don't all go to the same place . for humans it depends on their deeds , if they do good they go to eden and if they do bad they earn a journey in hell ,nice and comfy , however all other supernatural creature are sent to a diffrent place where they have to earn their peace " she paused for a second to catch her breath and stefan wanted to ask her what does that have to do with anything but he cought himself "this place is an entire diffrent dimension , inhabitated by the sprits of supernatural creature that lived on earth , it's completely seperated from the earth's demention , however there's a bridge between the two dementions which is used to transport the souls of the dead from earth " and it clicked in stefan's mind , he looked at caroline and he saw that she got the idea too so he spoke a little too excited

"so they can pass trough that bridge to come back here right ?" he looked at kira who shook her head

"no they can't , or else why don't we see dead people walking down the street and buying ice cream , the bridge lead to one direction only , once you're in you can't go out , it says here that the guardians made sure of that "

"the guardians ? " stefan and caroline spoke at the same time , it was getting weirder for both of them

"creatures of light , solders of god . they cast a spell on the bridge so that creatures trapped there won't use it to escape " she explained stefan's mind was spinning in all directions , how are they going to break the spell ? and how are they going to tell his brother and the rest that they can pass through the bridge ?

"is there a loop hole that can break the spell" caroline asked " there's always something that can break the curse "

"yeah " stefan added " like when the witch dies her spell..." and he stopped right in the middle of his sentence looking at caroline who sensed the line of his thought and terror washed over her face .

"no , no , no, no ,no ,no ,stefan ,NO we are not killing guardian angels "

"you wish" interrupted kira " the guardians are immortals , undestructible and blessed by god you can't just kill them "

"so what choice do we have " stefan was adressing to both of them

"we can't break a spell we don't know " suddenly kira's face lit up

" maybe we don't have to" this got stefan's complete attention

"what do you mean ? "

"it says here that lucius found spell to create something like a temporary link to the other dimension " the witch raised his head to look at them , her face filled with excitement . stefan's heart skipped a beat , there was a way after all , he could see his brother again , but he still didn't dare to raise his hopes too high , he knew there's always consequences and rituals and sacrifice and all that bullshit that led him and his friends to the situation they are in now

"but ..." caroline said prolonging the word , once again he felt as if caroline was invading his mind and reading his thoughts

"but only a powerful witch like lucius can perform it " kira said carefully and stefan didn't know what was the problem

"so we look for a powerful witch " he said with a shrug making kira release a small laugh

"yeah and maybe you can grow wings and fly , for two thousand years not a single witch or traveller ,even quetsiah and silas were able to beat lucius , he is the father of magic , he taught the world every thing he knew about magic ,you can't find someone with that power even if you went to the moon to look for him " stefan knew they can do it , they can bring them back , they had the spell and enough knowledge , but like always there was something missing , there has to be a solution , he only needs to think hard enough . and then an Idea popped into his mind , the most awful and horrible idea in the history of awful horrible Ideas , but he knew it can work

"what if we ask lucius himself for help " he asked and kira rolled her eyes

"and how are you going to ..." and she stopped in the middle of the sentence "no you can't" she said , blood draining out of her face "why can't we ? " stefan asked " it's the only way "

"wait what's going on , what are you two talking about " caroline said , confused , she obviously wasn't at the same page

"your precious boyfriend wants to kill you both so that you can ask lucius to bring your friends back " caroline's mouth fell open , she was so shocked that she forgot about the statement kira made about stefan being her boyfriend , stefan wanted to convince caroline , it was an awful idea he admitted , but what other choice do they have

"listen to me caroline , it's our only shot , we can do this , we can ask him to bring us all back afterwards " he paused for a second to swallow " you don't need to go if you don't want to , it's your choice , but I'm going " caroline fell silent , she was obviously thinking , but kira was shaking her head in disaprovement

"you can't kill yourself for something that you're not even sure that it's true " kira started " if lucius was able to do the spell , wouldn't he be here with us , maybe they took his power , and how do you know if he's going to accept to help you , your chances are too slim , you'll kill yourself in vain " her tone carried so much intensity and she was persuasive , however stefan needed to dig further in the subject to see if there's something that will help , so he asked her

"did you find the spell that creates this link ? what do we need aside from the powerful witch ? " kira flipped few pages looking for the spell , then she stopped at one page and kept staring at it for few minutes while stefan was unpatiently waiting for his answer

" it says that they need , the power of a shooting star that comes once every 3000 year , lucius used it for his experiment 2000 years ago which means you'll have to wait another millinium my friend " kira said , her voice carrying a hint of sarcasm

"so that's why lucius couldn't bring himself back " stefan was thinking " isn't there anything that has the power of this shooting star to replace it in the spell "

"what if we use the blood of one of each supernatural species including the doppelganger as a source " caroline offered "it worked before " , but once again kira shook her head

"the doppelganger's blood maybe powerful , but one doppelganger's blood can't do anything on its own , and the blood of other creatures isn't powerful enough " kira explained

"what about two doppelgangers " stefan asked "still not enough , after all two doppels have identical bodies and thus they share the same blood , it'll be like spilling an extra amount of blood " kira was obviously growing tired with this

"but the blood of two doppelgangers of diffrent people can do it right " stefan asked , a plan already forming in his head

"I guess yes but how are you going to find this person " kira said, skeptical about the whole thing

"stefan are you gone mad , you can't ask elena to bloody kill herself what if we couldn't make it " caroline said raising her voice

"I wasn't talking about elena , caroline , calm down " stefan said in his best reassuring voice "I was talking about katherine , I mean she's already there "

"and is she going to help you after you killed her ? " caroline questioned not so sure about the whole plan , even stefan wasn't sure about it either even if he tried to sound confident , there was too much risk

"I guess if we offered her an opportunity to get back to life , she'll accept , I mean you know her , she would make a deal with the devil if he had something she wanted bad enough " stefan replied with a shrug and then he adressed to kira

" alright now we know the source of the power and the witch , what else does the spell need ?" he asked

"object of four elements , earth , air , fire and water plus iron , the ashes of a plant , the blood of an animal and of a human all to represent the earth demension, and you'll need this " and she she pulled a silver neckless hidden under her shirt " this neckless belonged to lucius , we give it to the leader of our group and it was passed from a generation to another , it has great power " she paused for a minute " and there's no way in hell I'm giving it to you "

"you don't need to , it's not like we can take those things with us when we die , remember " caroline said and stefan realized that even though she didn't say it , caroline has accepted to go with him , he needed to think of a solution for this problem too , he can't just steal the neckless and even if he did it will do him no good , and once again an idea appeared to him , he wasn't so sure about it but it sounded logical

"caroline , remember when I died " he didn't expect her to answer but she did anyway

" yeah and how can I forget , julian ripped your heart out of your chest " stefan shivered remembering the pain he felt that night , it wasn't enough that he was kidnapped with elena and was drained of blood for four day , but he was forced to relive the details of his first death and he and his friends had to run from mystic falls to survive the traveller's plan , and before he could lay one foot outside of the town julian who was furious after learning about his wife's death ripped his heart out of his chest , which is why damon did what he did to bring him back to life and he died in the process . he shook the memories away and focused on the present

"well when I went to the other side , I had my cloths , the same ones I died with and even my ring even though they weren't the real ones , they were like the other version of them made for the spirit world so .." he didn't need to complete , because he knew from the light that flickered from caroline's eyes that she got it

" so if I wear the neckless when I die , then I can have a spiritual version of it , and after that kira can have the real one back , everyone wins " excitement in her voice brought back hope to stefan . now they have a plan , a dangerous , reckless , awful plan , but a plan neverthless

"we can also take the rest of the elements with us as we don't know anything about this demension " stefan suggested and caroline nodded "this is stupid you know" kira said shaking her head "you don't know what will you find there "

"it doesn't matter , as long as there's hope , we'll do it " stefan replied , and for the first time it hit him , they were going to kill themselves , they were going to travel to another dimension and they may never see their loved ones ever again , they were crazy "thanks for your help kira " caroline said with a soft tone and kira's face softened then she stood up and said

" alright I'm going to gather everything you need for your vacation " she paused for a minute then she said to stefan "and about the blood , bring it when you come back from the dead " and she left them alone . stefan and caroline sat there awkwardly silent

"so we're going to die " said caroline breaking the silence , looking shocked as if she wasn't able to process the whole thing

"I guess " it was all he could reply

"but how , take off our rings and burn " he didn't really thing about it , the way they were going to die , but he guessed they didn't have many options , being a vampire means you only have couple of ways to die , and all of them were painful

"I guess we might need them in the other dimension , who knows ? what about we rip out hearts out " he suggested

"you make sound like we're choosing what to eat on dinner , but yeah it's a good idea " they both released a nerveous laugh , but there caroline's face changed , she was terried and stefan's heart fell

" does it hurt " she asked

" a little at first , then you feel nothing , it's not as bad as it seemed " he lied , it was a torture ,the pain , the emptiness , the feeling of life draining out of his body but he didn't want to scare her she jumped out of the chair in excitement , and clapped her hand

" alright then it's settled , each of us will rip the other's heart " stefan couldn't help but laugh , it there's anyone that would make ripping hearts sound like a goodnight kiss , it was caroline kira was back , carrying a small bag made of tissue

"alright , I gathered everthing you need and put them in bottles , objects representing the elements , blood of both animals and humans , iron and the ashes of a plant , put them in your pocket and hope for the best " stefan took it and shoved it in his jacket's pocket , it suprisenly fitted there , kira adressed to caroline

" here wear this " and she gave her the neckless " wear it now , I'll take back as soon as you die " caroline took it and stefan helped her wear it while she pushed her hair aside out of his way . kira took a step back

" any last wishes before you two do whatever stupid thing you're about to do "

"just take care of out bodies after we die " stefan said "burry them or burn them ,I don't know "

"alright , got it " kira said with a smile

"I won't say goodbye , I'll see you later , and don't forget that you owe me the blood "

"thank you so much kira " stefan said sincerly , and then he turned to face caroline they both took a deep breath , and then looked into each other's eyes "ready ?" he asked

"ready"

and in a split of second , each one of them reached the other's heart , he felt hers in his hands , warm and beating so fast and and pulled it out , at the same second as he felt a sharp pain in his own chest followed by emptiness . his vision became blurry , but he could still see caroline's flesh turning to grey , her mouth shaped into the letter O . his legs were failing him , and he collapsed on the wooden floor , he heard another voice of something hitting the ground , but he couldn't see anymore , the world around was fading to black , and darkness was surrounding him . he felt life slipping away from him , draining from his body and enventually , everything went silent , and darkness envelopped him .


	4. Chapter 4

Darkness, that all he could see . he didn't how much time has passed while he was flotting into nothingness , he didn't even know if he was flotting . all he knew is that he couldn't see anything , that blackness surrounded him from every direction , both inside and outside of his body .somehow,he didn't feel frightened , it's quite the opposit , he felt peaceful . He didn't remember who he was , there was no past , no future , no present , he lost his sense of time and space . He felt as if something was blocking all his senses , he couldn't feel the rest of his body , he knew it should exist but he couldn't feel it , there was no smell to be sent , no taste to be tasted , no voice to be heard , there was just void , nothingness . and then everything started to change , it started with a small source of light , so far that he could barely see it , and then it became bigger and bigger and bigger , until it swallowed him whole , and everything exploded . memories , feelings , desires all howled like strong wind around him , he was in the heart of a hurricane , feeling out of time and space , feeling everything : he was happy and sad and frightened and tired and thrilled and strong and weak all at the same time , these contradictions were driving him crazy . He wanted to run and kick and scream but he couldn't . once again he lost his track of time inside this endless light , he didn't know for how long he stayed there , it could be a billion year or a split of second but one thing he was sure about , he wanted it over .

He shot up into sitting position as he sucked in a huge breath , his eyes snapped open and blinked . his vision was still blurry so he blinked few more times . first thing he saw was croline sitting right next to him , looking as beautiful as ever , but something about her was diffrent but he didn't know what

"you finally woke up sleeping beauty " she started in sarcasm " I've been waiting for like an hour "

"where are we ?" it was all he could manage to say , still feeling dizzy

"the other dimension I guess " she said with a shrug "I wasn't exacly expecting paradise but I think this place could get better"

stefan stood on his feet , taking a good look at their surroundings . The first thing that hit him was the sun , it was the weidest thing he ever saw . It was crimson red , four times as big as the ordinary sun and a hundered times as menacing . the sky was like a pool of blood , red , cloudless and sending a both sad and dangerous sensation to the place . he looked around him , they were in a forest , but its trees were's green and full of life like the ones in mystic falls , they were white and dry with their branches extending like deperate hands begging for help , completely naked from leaves , deseased . crows were staring at them from the top of trees , their sounds was making this place more frightning , it was like everything existed on this place was to sent terror into their hearts . everything was dry and dead and the sun was sending it deathly glow making everything red . and he realized what was diffrent about caroline , her hair was looking orange in the red light instead of yellow , her skin looked darker , her blue dress became purple . so this was the other dimension , he thought , I didn't spend fifteen minutes here and I hate it already .

he realized that they were standing next to a huge rock and he climbed it , hoping that the altitude would give him more information about this bizzare place .wilderness extended infront of him , miles and miles of sick trees , reflecting the red light of the sun , surrending him from all directions except one ,north-east. the woods stoped there , against a massivly tall wall. it was 3 miles away , but from where he stood he could tell that it was enormeous . he jumped to earth and went to caroline who was standing several feet away from him

"we need to go north east , there's a wall there . We have to see what's in there " he said

"how do we know it's the right path ?" she questioned , her eyes reflecting a worried look

"we don't" he answeresd quickly , avoiding her eyes, and then he remembered something "wait , do you have the neckless? " he asked , his heart pounding in fear , if the neckless wasn't with caroline their whole quest would be in vain . caroline pulled the silver neckless decorated with blue patterns made of a substance he didn't recognize and he sighed in relief , he himself reached for his pocket and found the little bag kira gave him . he nodded to caroline and her face lit up , for the first time in forever something actually went right . they headed northwest , as they had no time to sit and chit chat , he wanted to find lucius , katherine , his brother and their friends as soon as possible and get the hell out of this place that was sending him creeps . deep down he was terrified , he could count a trillion think that may go wrong , they didn't have a plan to convince lucius , or katherine in case she started to like this place , or find his brother . it was depressing to even think about the possiblitity that he and caroline sacrifised their lives for nothing . he could pass , after all he lived beyond his time span , but caroline was still young and her life was ahaid of her , they needed to secceed for her sake , for damon's sake who only started to taste happiness to be ripped out of it , for bonnie's sake who sacrifised everything for them .

even with using their vampire speed , they reached the walls two hours later . the distance seemed to be strentching whenever the wall finally appeared , everytime he told himself that they were there the wall became farther .eventually the trees thinned and became fewer and fewer and then the woods ended against a massivly big wall . the wall was so tall that stefan felt dizzy just looking at it , he didn't know how such a structure could exist , it was as if the wll could touch the sky and a sense of vertigo hit him .He looked at caroline who seemed to be as stunned as he was . eventually he shook his amazement and forced himself to concentrate , he felt like he could stare at the wall forever .

"alright we're here , what's next " caroline asked

"we follow the wall until we find something , there must be a reason for its existence right ?" he wasn't sure he was right , a place with a huge red sun and a red sky can have walls with no purpose , but he prayed that at least there was the minimum amout of logic in here .

"and which side should we go ? " well that's something he hadn't thought of , he might go in a direction and find nothing while there's an entrence or something on the other side

"we split , that's our only chance " he said " let the crows be our signal "

" the crows " caroline was confused

"yes , when you find something , an entrence , a gate , when you find yourself in a tough situation shake a tree , they are just few feet from the wall and the crows will fly , I'll see them and come for you , I'll do the same "

caroline just nodded and said " alright be careful "

"you too " and each of them took a the side he was standing on and started running

stefan ran full speed for half an hour , his mind spinning in all direction , trying to make a plan , at the same time he was glancing behind him to see if caroline was sendind him a message . the wall stetched endlessly , it seemes that he will go on forever , making stefan feel desperate . few minutes later he saw tiny black things in the distance behind him . it was the singnal . he took off in the opposit direction and and in an hour he was able to see caroline's shadow in the distance , hiding behind a tree, she sensed his presence so she turned facing him , he stopped running and started walking , trying to catch his breath , surprisenly the air in this dimension was even purer than the one on earth , at least this place wasn't all bad .she gestered to him to come and he did , wondering what did she find .

"follow me " she said and she moved silently between trees , he did the same . in a minute he was able to see what was it all about . a huge line of people appeared , no not people , there were some that looked like humans , but the others , some had furr , others where half humen-half animals , and by animals he meant all kind of animals , horses , butterflies , lizards , cows , lions , litterally all . they were all waiting to enter through a huge gate , and by huge he also meant thirty meters tall huge . it was made with bronze , decorated with rubies and emralds and dimands , or that's what it looks like from a far . two guards standing on both sides of the gate , and almost had the same hight , wearing golden and white armors from the roman age and holding golden spears decorated like the gate , they were looking like status , their posture reminded him of the beckingham palace's guards , immobile but somehow he knew they were alive . the gate wasn't open , people were getting in from a small open door inside the gate itself . next to the small door was a man on a desk , wearing the same armor as the guard , but his size was normal , and so was his face . by turn , people appraoch him one by one , they exchange few words he couldn't hear from afar and the man writes something , then he holds a metal square again the other person's wrist for seconds , the he gesters to him to go inside , and he receive the next person in the line .

"we need to go inside " he said " let's go in line "

"what" caroline's eyes was wide in terror "what makes you think that it's safe t go in there , what if it's hell or a slaughter house for supernatural creatures , what if we don't find them and we need to get out , I don't see another line for people leaving"

"relax caroline , look around you , people look eager to go in ,we'll look for them here , and if we didn't find them we'll figure something out , we always do " caroline was about to say something but she stopped herself "ok , let's go"

they went to the end of the line and stood there , time was strentching to an eternity and the ine was moving slowly

"stefan ?" caroline said , standing right infront of him "what if we fail , what if we couldn't make it back " she was making his heart melt in sadness , he wondered what will happin to elena , knowing that her remaining friends were dead too

"we will make it back caroline " he said smiling reassuringly "we will all be back , I promise "

"swear it to me " she said with a serious tone , stefan wasn't sure about it , but he said anyway " I swear on my hero hair " and he hear her snicker , he had a surge of relief , his friend was still there , strong and fighting and with him . no matter what will happin they'll stick together .

hours passed , while they were waiting there , the sun hadn't change its position . it seems that they'll be stuck with it forever . finally caroline's turn came , the man asked her , his eyes still hanging on the papers on his desk

"name ? " he asked , all business , still not raising his head

caroline looked at stefan , and he nodded in encouragement " caroline forbes "

"age ?"

"20 years old "

"demension ?"

"um earth ? "

"relationship statue "

"single "

"favourite color? " at this question caroline turned to stefan and shruged as if she was saying " what does he need my favourite color for ? "

stefan just shook his head as a sign that he doesn't know . caroline faced the guard again and replied

"purple "

he was writing the information on a sheet , then he asked her to give him her hand , he put the weird metal square on her wrist for seconds and said " purple " , then when he removed it the word "vampire" was printed there in the same color

it was definitly a devise that detects the species of an individual , the gestred to caroline to go inside , she did , clearly stunned, staring at the word written on her hand , and now it was stefan's turn . he moved forward . the man repeated the same cycle of questions in the same indeferent , all in business tone and stefan felt sudden sympathy for the guy who was doing the same thing over and over for like forever

"name ? "

"stefan salvatore "

"age ? "

"167 "

"demension?"

"earth"

"relationship statue?"

"single "

"favourite color ? "

"blue"

he gave his hand to the man before he could even ask , he was eager to go inside and find caroline , the metal was a bit cold against his skin , but other than that he had no sensation that something was getting tattooed on his skin , when the man removed it two words were printed "vampire" and "doppelganger" in dark blue -the same shade stefan liked most - next to each other , the man seemed to frown then he looked at stefan in confusion , he wondered what was that all about

"I recommand that you keep that hidden my friend " he pointed at the doppelganger word " your kind don't come here often and some people might kill to get your blood "

stefan only nodded and got inside through the gate , thinking how being a doppelganger cursed him even in the after life . it was amazing how just being from amara or silas's blood line can make your life a living hell . the original pair ended a horrible ends after living miserable lives trapped and longing for each other , tatia was killed for her blood because she was a doppelganger , katherine's whole family was slaughtered and she was forced to run for centuries because she was a doppelganger , elena lost so many people because she was a doppelganger , tom avery , who was an innocent human was killed because he was a doppelganger . and ever since he learned that he was one too ,he started to meet people who liked to fry his brain and drain him from his blood.

as soon as he stepped inside the gate , he found caroline waiting for him smiling , they both showed each other the writing on their hands , and stefan told her about what the guard said to him . the place he found behind the walls was nothing like he expected . it was like an old roman city , built on a huge hill , and it seems that they were standing in an old market . people didn't bother make their shops presentible , if you could call them shops . their marchandises were put on a piece of wood lifted by two rows of boxs on each side and the sellers themselves were sitting on the dirt floor asking for people to come and take a look , wearing rags and their faces were muddy and dirty . the place was crowded , people from diffrent eras ...and species were passing by not bothering to look at each other no matter how weird or repulsive some individuals were . some people were wearing modern day clothes , others were wearing white greek tunics , some wore middle age cloths and some women had huge dresses that reminded him of the girls back in the 19th century , he felt like he was in halloween party only the costumes were a lot more convincing . he glaced at some people's wrists and he could recognize some species like vampires , werewolves , hybrids , travellers , witches ,hunters but there are others he didn't know like kitsunes , centaurs , ogres , guardians and some were looked pretty weird looking . behind the market there were neighborhoods , the closest and most visible one looked miserable and ugly , cabines made with white wood , obvisouly from the diseased trees of the area , they were poorly made and barely standing . a little farther he could see that the houses looked relativly better , taller and made of stones and at least you can stand next to them without worrying about a stone falling on your head . in the distance , behind the stone houses , stand massive buildings , from the roman era . they were made with marble on the roman syle , with cylaindrical columns and triangular roofs . the biggest building of them all or maybe in the whole city was the coloseum , it was in the heart of the city on the very top of the hill , surrended by the other buildings . it was shining so bright with red glow , like a huge rubie looking so beautiful , and so out of place . the place was so contradicted with its poor cabines and breathtakingly massive constructions that it made stefan sad . there was no justice even in the after life . he decided to snap out of it and start looking for his friends , or lucius , or katherine and he hoped he could all find them in this city , last thing he needed to do was fighting for social justice .he and caroline moved forward , none of them said it but they had no Idea where to start . stefan looked at each face that passed by him hoping he could see his brother's face or bonnie's but he didn't recognize any of them . the sellers were mostly witches , selling dried herbes and spell books .he wondered why would people need money in the after life , and why witches , the most powerful species are always the ones who end up in the worst conditions . as they moved forward the shops started to get better , and more various . there were blood shops , destined for vampires and hybrids to go and fill their stomach with any typle of blood they wanted . stefan wondered about the source of the blood since there were no humans in this demension . there was also jewlery shops, selling mostly charms for witches and vervain , wolfspain necklesses for protection . this place provided anything a supernatural creature may need , any type of food from blood to rotten mean to a cheeseburger , any type of weapon for beasts and hunters , fortune tellers , music shops ...

stefan wanted to ask someone whether he knew lucius , he figured that if he asked about lucius the chances of finding him would be better since he seems to be the type of guy that should be famous and all , but everytime he approached someone , a couple of extra eyes or another head freaks him out ...finally after a gazillion failed attempted almost causing caroline to rip her hair out , she decided to step forward and do it herself . in no time they were able to find the guy and even the bar he frequented and even the directions to the bar .

the bar was in the middle class section of the city , when they entered , the strong sent of alcohol and sweat hit them . like the rest of the houses in the area the bar was made by blocks of grey stones and mud . no paint , no wood , just grey walls with decorations of hunting trophies like heads of animals and some supernatural creature filling the space , stefan could swear that if an animal rights activist visited this place he could die from a heart attack . the place was gloomy and creepy , it had no windows and it was lit with torches making it more menacing . worn wooden tables were placed in rows with creatures sitting , in groups or alone , to drink themselves to death from iron pots . in conclusion , this place time travelled from the middleages and got serious damages in the process . the bar tender was a huge man , a little fat with a long braided bear and long brown hair wearing an XXXL shirt that suited him perfectly and torn jeans .

"I bet that man is a viking " stefan whispred to caroline

"I bet he didn't take a shower in a millinium "she said in disgust

they stepped towards the bar anyway , caroline sat on the only empty chair and stefan stood next to her although he felt tired himself and he wanted to sit too .

"new here ?" the bar tender started , cleaning the wooden counter with a rug , so dirty that it's making the wood dirtier instead .

"um yes " caroline said trying to supress her disgust , stefan knew that if he left it to her she would bath the whole bar in acid , to destroy 99.9 percent of the germs "we just died"

"um , sorry I guess " he said trying to smile in sympathy , his teeth were so yellow that stefan wished he would stop , he was making him dizzy already

"it's ok , it wasn't that back " caroline replied , she stopped for a minute and then asked " do you know a man called lucius "

"why , what do you want from me " a voice said somewhere on the left

"I guess I'll leave you then" the bar tender said picking his rag and leaving "be careful" he whispered at the two vampires

caroline and stefan went to the old man who was sitting on the wooden chair waiting for them . he looked at least sixty-years old , his hair was snow-white and so was his beard . he was wearing an old greek tunic , grey with a touch of blue on the neckline . stefan should admit that the man looked fashionable and handsome for his age . his eyes reminded him of silas's and quetsiah's although they didn't share the same color as they were deep pure blue . they were wicked , mocking , powerful , ageless . his mouth was shaped in a smirk that painfully reminded him of his brother . now meeting the guy that holds their fate in his hands , stefan new that their mission wasn't as easy as he had assumes , convincing this man will need more that saying " please "

the man obviously didn't see them well minutes ago , because when they approached him he gasped , and his expression changed from mocking to angry , surprised , shocked even

"silas " he hissed , hatred dropping from every sillable of the word

"no I'm not silas , lucius ...sir " stefan said defensivly , his stomach churning at the mention of his nemesis , he could almost feel the dark cold of the water surrounding him , the same feeling he had when he was trapped in the safe in the bottom of the quarry " I'm his doppelganger , stefan"

"be gone , and never show yourself to me again, I won't trust someone with that face again " the man snapped at him and stefan knew that he and caroline should prepare themselves for a long vacation under the crimson sun

"Lucius ..um sir " caroline spoke " we need your help "

"of course you need my help , do you think you're the only one , vampires like you always want something , a daylight ring , a location spell . they never leave me alone . at least other creature have the decency to pay me " lucius complained and stefan wondered why all legadary heroes has to be old whiny drunkars since the dawn of humanity

"but sir , we littrally killed ourselves to meet you , now we'll be dead in vain " caroline replied , stefan sensed panic raising in her voice

"I'm not responsible for every stupid thing you do my dear " said lucius looking annoyed

"even if it meant an opportunity to be back on earth again " stefan said hoping for the best , and something flickered into lucius's ice cold eyes

"I'm listening "

stefan told him about his plan , about him and katherine , he showed him the neckless and the ingredients they brought with them , they told him that they came for their friends and why they need their help

"so let me get this staight , you want me to find your brother and friend's location plus the location of a wicked young lady that you don't know if she'll be convinced , and then open a door to the earth and we could all come back to life "

"yes " stefan and caroline both said with a nod

"well one more question, the wine on earth , is it better than 2000 years before "

"oh yeah " again both caroline and stefan replied " even new alcoholic drinks were invented , and you should see the bars , much better , clean , with music and nice girls " caroline tried her best to be a good saleswoman and convince the old man to come with them

"if you're lying to me I swean I will blow your brains and send you to rott here , understood "

"yes sir " caroline and stefan said looking like two solders talking to their commander

"alright , better be going to my house , we have to locate your friends "

caroline and stefan left the bar with lucius , not knowing if they could trust the guy , but they knew that their adventure starts now .


	5. Chapter 5

caroline and stefan followed lucius through the crowded roads of the city , the crimson red sun shining at the same position since their arrival making them wonder if the night will ever come . they stopped by a simple stone house at the edge of the middle class neighborhood . the house , which belonged to lucius , looked as far from luxirious as a house could possibly be , with a worn old door that appeared to be there for centuries , and grey stone of which the house was constructed making it so ominous and uninviting .lucius pushed the door and stepped inside , inviting them both . the house inside wasn't so diffrent from the outside in terms of luxury , the few furniture consisted of a small bed , a wooden table , two chairs sitting next to it , a closet and a library . several things were thrown on the wooden floor that drew stefan's attention , books , metal objects , glass jars and few bottles filled with very weird substances and animal's mumified limbs and of course some wine bottles . the place looked like it wasn't cleaned for at least a millenia and smelled like it , stefan could distinguish the smell of something rotten and hoped it's just the pizza from last week . lucius made himself comfortable on one of the chairs and gestered for them to sit on any place that made them comfortable . of course there wasn't much choice so caroline took the chair first , stefan preferred to stand .  
"alright , let's get to business . I need to perform a locator spell to find your friends , anything that belonged to them would be enough , a ring ,a neckless , a piece of hair "said lucius looking back and forth between them  
"we don't have anythi.."replied caroline , and then she interrupted herself , looking at her ring "this daylight ring , bonnie made it for me , with her magic , will it do ? " she looked at lucius expectantly ,who thought for few seconds , then replied  
"I guess it will , give it to me "  
caroline backed away from the narrow window that was casting faint red light into the gloomy place , fearing that she might turn into barbecue in matter of seconds if she was exposed to sun light . she removed the ring and gave it lucius who examined it carefully .  
"what about the rest , how are we going to locate them " said stefan ,worried that this small detail might blow up their whole plan and feeling a surge of regret and pain washing over him for not having a single reminder of his brother .  
"don't worry. we'll need to perform a diffrent spell , using your memories , but it's more risky and its results are less trusted " warned lucius . he stood up and walked towards the library and pulled a big rectangular piece of paper . he brought it to the table and spread it , puting a lit candle on each of its four corners . on the paper , several circles were drawn , a big one that took almost the entire space of the paper , and inside of it a smaller one was drawn, and a smaller circle was drawn inside of the latter , and so on ,it looked just like the target used in archery , stefan counted 7 circles . each circle was colored with a different color , and there was few words on the paper , but stefan couldn't read it as it was in a foreign language , it looked like greek though , and he swore that he'll learn it if he ever got home . after fixing the ring into a silver chain , lucius was dangling it on top of the paper , chanting some words in ancient greek , after few minutes the fire of the candles became stronger and suddenly it went off . the ring dropped of the very center of the paper , on the circle in the center and lucius's face fell , turning as grey as the stone of his house , as if he was in the presence of death itself . after all the adventures stefan lived and the experience he had with witches , he knew that nothing good was coming , he knew that they were doomed . still lucius said nothing , he waved his hand and the candles went on again . he asked stefan to give him his hands , and stefan obeyed . lucius placed their holding hands on top of the paper and asked stefan to close his eyes and think of his brother . it wasn't easy for stefan to think of his brother without feeling sharp pain in his chest , stabbing him like the edge of blade , but he endured , remembering that time long years ago when they were humans and alive and happy . he remembered the happiness they shared once upon a time , when they were young and naive and full of life . he concentrated on a particular scene when he was seventeen , he was playing football with his brother , throwing and catching the ball until they were out of breath , so free and careless . he longed for that time , and he wished katherine never put a foot inside their house , never manipulated them and turned them against each other .the candles finally went off again and stefan felt an invesible force moving his hand , gently yet powerfully , and his hands landed on the circle in the centre . lucius again didn't look happy about it . he kept muttering to himself and stefan didn't know what he was saying , but it sounded like mumbo jumbo , so he just decided that he was saying something in greek .  
"alright , the last one " said lucius lighting the candles again "concentrate on the lady named katherine "  
he held stefan's hands again in the same way he did earlier . and again stefan closed his eyes and concentrated . of course thinking of katherine didn't bring that surge of warm nostalgia and longing the way thinking of damon did . although stefan forgave her for everything she did , he couldn't help feeling dread and uneasiness thinking about her , about what she did to him ,to all of them . the more he thought of her , the more he felt anger and sadness piling inside of him . and after the longest three minutes in his life the chanting was finally over and his hands were placed on the paper by the invisible force , this time on one of the other circles , the third one and lucius shook his head  
"this isn't good " he said with a grave look " I knew your plan was too easy to be true "  
stefan's heart fell , he didn't understand what was wrong but after literally comitting suicide with his best friend to come here , he didn't afford failure , even if he had to kidnap lucius or tear the tissue of time and space with his teeth .  
"what's wrong " it was caroline who spoke , she was back on the chair after wearing her ring again , looking anxious just like Stefan  
" your friends are not in this city , infact they are not in this layer even " lucius said it as if it was the worst thing that could ever happen , but all stefan and caroline felt was puzzlement . and it was very evident on their faces as they looked at each other and shrugged  
"did you even stop to take the guidebook of the dimention at the gate " asked lucius frustrated of their ignorance  
"there's a guidebook of this place ?" asked stefan and caroline at the same time  
"of course there is , last thing we want is freshly dead people panicking all over the place asking where the hell they are , people in this city have bad experience with those before the guidebooks " lucius said , frustrated and then he sighed , forcing himself to calm down  
"alright , come here I'll explain " lucius said . he pointed at the paper when he was sure he had their full attention ans he started explaining  
"see this , this is the map of the demension . this demension wasn't intended to make supernatural creature's afterlives easy , because of what they do during their lives and the way they manipulate human lives . we all know how most of creatures abuse people with their powers et cetera , but they couldn't send us all to hell as , some of us , actually try to help . so the guardians made a special type of hell for us , a multilayered hell called the dimension . the circles on this map represent each a layer , we are in the exterior one , the city where everybody goes when they die . if you try hard enough , make as good as possible , you may get a chance to get a blessing and go to the elysium or else , you'll start descending to inferior layers until you get to the bottom " and he pointed at the center of the map , the circle in which bonnie and damon were located , and stefan felt a lump piling in his throat  
"the layers " lucius added " are different degrees of torture , the more you are deeper , the more the torture is bigger , and the challenges are more dangereous , and you can travel to the next layer by a portal at the edge of every layer . the only one in the city is in the center . it leads here " and he pointed at the second biggest circle on the map " the jungle layer " he said it with a menacing voice  
"and what's in the centre " stefan dared to ask , although his voice was trembling . he was frightened of the answer , frightened to imagine what kind of suffering his brother was enduring .  
"no one knows " said lucius with a shrug "no one went there and ever came back , it's usually where the most evil and villainous people go " he paused and then he added with a wicked look " makes you wonder what type of people are your friends "  
at this comment , stefan felt the urge to rip the man's throat out , maybe with couple of other vital organs , but he forced himself to be calm and fight any maniacal , serialkilling thoughts out of his head . Caroline on the other hand , who was already on the edge after everything that happened to her today , fixed the old man on the wall in the speed of light , squeezing his neck . Stefan couldn't blame her , but they needed the guy and the last thing they needed was to get on his bad side , so , he pushed her away from the guy , taking her by surprise . seconds later , her raged expression softened , and her eyes became teary  
"I ... I'm sorry " she stammered , totally embarrassed and mortified of what she did  
"Vampires " said Lucius with an angry sigh , rubbing his neck with his hands " your spieces got strength and temper , but no brains , that's why you're by far the most dangerous spieces "  
Caroline's eyes were full of tears ,and stefan knew what was coming , all the feelings of grief , anger , disappointment , guilt she tried to conceal since bonnie's death were going to come to surface . she sat on one of the chairs , holding her face hidden with her hands , and in a matter of seconds she was crying , letting strangulated , heart-wrenching sobs . without hesitation , stefan went to her , enveloped her with his arms and spoke to her with a soothing voice until she calmed down . she was always the one who's in controle , the one that comforted everyone . she needed to let it out  
"I don't understand how's this possible " she said with a shaky voice " there must be some mistake , bonnie was a good person , she was too good that it killed her , she sacrifised everything for her friends , why would she be in the worst layer of the dimension "  
"I don't know caroline " said stefan shaking his head " but whatever was the reason behind it , we now need to find them more than ever and bring them back to earth , and as fast as possible "  
"I hope you're not relying on me to perform the spell , there's no way in hell that I'm stepping one step out of this layer " said lucius crossing his arms against his chest in defiance  
stefan grew tired and irritated with all those obstacles in his way to see his brother , everytime he solves a problem another appears and it seems that lucius himself is a pile of problems . he summoned all his powers and forced himself to be composed and calm  
"listen , um , sir . you've been here for nearly two thousand years , under that ugly red glowing sun , drinking the same drink at the same old bar , and living in this house . don't you miss the normal , small , yellow sun , the green grass and flowers , the crystal clear rivers and beautiful girls and the beautiful blue sky ? don't you want to taste something new , enjoy your life once more , get a chance for another lifetime ? or you'd rather stay in this city for the rest of eternity ." when stefan finished talking , he hoped that he was persuasive although he didn't feel that he was , if lucius was convinced , he didn't show any sign of it  
"finished with the speech , boy ?yes the something new to drink and beautiful girls part was tempting and all , but do you think I'll risk my life to the centre of the inferno for that , no thanks . I'll enjoy a sunbath under the ,how did you call it ? ah the ugly red glowing sun "he replied with a cocky smile only damon could immitate , making stefan feel as if his hopes were crushed with a monster truck and thrown of the wickery bridge  
"we'll protect you then" caroline stood on her feet , recovered from the emotional breakdown she had earlier . although her eyes and the edge of her nose were as red as the sun above them "we'll protect you with our lives , you have our word "  
lucius let out a chuckle as if he heard a joke , stefan's clenched his jaw in fury and caroline's lips thinned until they were almost invisible  
"I don't think I said anything funny " she hissed in a tone that gave stefan shills , she sometimes scared him when she was angry , even more than silas and marcus  
"you didn't ? " lucius now was laughing " you'll protect me , you ? vampires ? against giants and ogres and gardians and demons . what are you going to do , make them laugh to death ? "  
"we'll fight them " replied caroline , sounding determined "we might not look like much , but we survived through much , and we'll survive this time .we fought original vampires , we killed silas , we killed marcus and his travellers and I'm sure we can survive until we reach the center of the the dimension "  
when she mentioned silas , something in lucius's eyes flickered , his expression changed into shock and disblieve "you killed silas ? "  
stefan sensed the opportunity , he didn't know whether lucius liked or hated silas but he decided to take the chance  
"I killed him " he said  
"that piece of filth " spat lucius , more to himself than to stefan " if there something I regret during my lifetime , it's teaching him and quetsiah magic . but him , of all people , after everything I did for him , he stabbed me in the back , he killed me with cold blood to take over the group . it's good that quetsiah took care of him for me , I've been waiting for my revenge for two thousand year, but doppelgangers are all I can get " he smiled absently and turned to stefan " well then , I guess I owe you one , I'll go after all "  
"you're going ?" said stefan in disbelief  
"are you sure ? " asked caroline looking as if she got an early birthday present  
lucius didn't reply though and both stefan and caroline didn't want to push their luck .  
stefan couldn't describe the feeling he got after hearing those words , no it wasn't relieve or happiness ,it was much much more . he felt floating , flying yet his feet were on the ground . caroline's radiating smile said she felt the same . he felt like hugging her , but he felt embarrassed since lucius was watching them .  
"alright , well , I guess I should pack some stuff for the journey , since we don't know what we will be facing and how far is the central layer . we'll buy you some blood on the road . there's no need for the delay " he said opening the closet  
"is there a portal that leads to the central layer directly from here" asked caroline  
"no " replied lucius spreading a white cloth on the table , starting to put things on it : a bottle of wine , candles , a bottle of water , a book " we will need to pass all of the layers until we reach there " he added picking a jar from the ground and puting it with the rest of things he will be carrying with him , which started to pile . eventually , he tied the cloth and put it on his shoulder , it sounded like and ancient handbag . stefan waited for caroline to comment since her sense of fashion was supernatural but she said nothing . they left the house and the red light burned stefan eyes after the house's darkness .  
they walked through the city's roads , which seemed to improve the more they went closer to the center . old gloomy houses started to disappear and were replaced with big white villas constructed with marble . their golden doors and windows were shining so bright that stefan felt his eyes burning . they stopped along the way to buy some things useful for their journey , of course with lucius paying for them with strange golden coins . stefan guessed it's the money used in the demension . they finally reached the very centre of the city , they were standing infront of the huge colesieum that cought stefan's eyes from the moment he laid a foot inside the city . the colesieum was nothing like the one he visited once in rome , which looked very old . this one looked as if it was built yesterday , glowing white with golden traces . infront of the coloseum was a huge crowded yard in which they were standing .stefan could distinguish a monument of a square of marbre with a glowing circle inside of it . as he came closer he realized that the circle was made of light , glowing puple and pink one second , and blue and green the other . two guards were standing on each side , reflecting the circle's glow on their ancient shining armors and pointed spears .people were forming a line , infront of it . some were carrying bows and arrows , others were carrying swords and spears looking strong and menacing , stefan guessed they were hunters . some others were tied with chains and guarded by other guards -who had iron armors and swords - looking pale and dirty with matching grey uniforms , they were the criminals who will be sent to the much worse layer .  
"this is the portal ? " asked stefan , looking at lucius who nodded  
every time someone's turn finally arrives , he shows his wrist on which his identity was written to a guard standing next to the portal carrying a notebook , takes a deep breath and jumps into the light . the portal glows faintly as the person gets swallowed and he disappears completely  
"this is it " said lucius inhaling "this will be carrying us to the next layer "  
"we'd better get going " said caroline with a firm tone , carrying nervousness underderneath it only stefan could distinguish  
they stepped forward , stood in the line and waited for their turn , half an hour later stefan's turn arrived , he showed his tattoo to the guard , looked at caroline who nodded in encouragement , took a deep breath and stepped forward .


End file.
